# Wackiest arcade game? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687 "2003-08-26T05:13:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Anniee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@Anniee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anniee)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/21 "2003-08-27T13:10:36Z")
Paperboy was my vote; though the first thing that came to mind was MARBLE MADNESS. That was actually a cool game though šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![pung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pung)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/22 "2003-08-27T13:28:50Z")
My vote goes to Timber! [http://www.klov.com/T/Timber.html](http://www.klov.com/T/Timber.html) A game in which the player is expected to chop down as many trees as possible with their trusty axe. If my memory is to be trusted (it isnā€™t) points are awarded for killing birds. The Player must always be on the look out for bears desperately trying to save the forest. Bonus round? Log rolling! Ahh, good times at Chuck 'e Cheeseā€™s ---
**Author:** ![smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smoke)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/23 "2003-08-27T13:35:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TelcontarStorm \* > ā€¦ **Zombies Ate My Neighbors** ā€¦ Ooh! I loved that game! And let me add another wacky Genesis game: Mutant League Football. Basically, it was a regular old football game of the era, only the team was made up of monsters, and frequent bloody and gruesome deaths occured: you could throw a death pass that was basically a turkey begging to be intercepted, but would explode when the other team grabbed it. You could ā€œsackā€ the QB- leaving him decapitated. Great game. BTW- did everyone know what I game I was talking about in my last post? ---
**Author:** ![pung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pung)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/24 "2003-08-27T13:37:53Z")
Smoke: Smash TV? ---
**Author:** ![smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smoke)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/25 "2003-08-27T13:45:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pung \* > \*\*Smoke: > Smash TV? \*\* Thanks- I couldnā€™t remember the title. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/26 "2003-08-27T13:49:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Elvis Rojo \* > \*\*Sorry, wrong threadā€¦ > > I never played **Holoseum** , but from what you say, it reminds me of that old **Dragonslayer** video game. I loved the cartoons, and the video game was nothing but a choose your own adventure type cartoon for the most partā€¦it just seemed to me you could never do anything but die! ā€œHit the button when you see the flash? Okayā€¦wait, whyā€™d I just get crushed in a wall?ā€ Still, it was nice to look at. > \*\* The game was actually Dragonā€™s Lair (featuring Dirk the Daring and Princess Daphne). It spawned a sequel which had the same game play, but was almost seamless. The main animator for it was Don Bluth who has done a few movies that escape me at the moment. In addition to Dragonā€™s Lair 1 and 2, he also had a space game called (cleverly enough) Space Ace. There is a fantastic website with a listing of laser games (including live action ones) at [http://www.dragons-lair-project.com/games/](http://www.dragons-lair-project.com/games/). The strangest of these, and the one that stands out was Thayerā€™s Quest in that you actually played it with a keyboard that was mounted in the cabinet. Before the game started, you were prompted to type in your name and it would pronounce it for you. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/27 "2003-08-27T17:45:58Z")
The same team that did ā€œPunch Outā€ later on did an arcade game that was an arm-wrestling simulator, complete with the fake arm you sat down against and everything. It was pretty weird, because like Punch Out, each of the opponents had their own personality and unique ā€˜trickā€™ to beating them. The one I always remember off the top of my head is Bald Bull from Punch-Out making an appearance as a mysterious hooded opponent. (You had to pull off his hood to stun him in order to finish pushing his arm down onto the table.) ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/28 "2003-08-27T18:46:48Z")
Ooh, I remember that arm-wrestling thing! You had to put your elbow on the pad or else it would call you a cheater and youā€™d lose. Of course, that didnā€™t stop you from calling over three friends and hauling that arm down in three seconds on every match. ---
**Author:** ![DaPearl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@DaPearl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaPearl)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/29 "2003-08-27T19:15:29Z")
Oh man, I loveed **Zombies Ate My Neighbors**! All the good memories are coming back. Fighting the chainsaw freaks, chuckyesque dolls, and giat babies (yes, that was really a level) with fire extinguishers and squirt guns and stuff. Iā€™d buy another sega genesis just for this game. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/30 "2003-08-27T19:53:50Z")
I remember two versions of **Tapper** one where you served beer and another where you served root beer. Crazy Climber was pretty strange. ---
**Author:** ![Chicago\_Faucet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chicago_faucet/32/13910_2.png) [@Chicago\_Faucet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicago_Faucet)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/31 "2003-08-27T20:05:46Z")
Journey. 'Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![Chicago\_Faucet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chicago_faucet/32/13910_2.png) [@Chicago\_Faucet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicago_Faucet)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/32 "2003-08-27T20:12:02Z")
Honorable Mention: Lucky Wander Boy. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/33 "2003-08-27T21:51:43Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by LlamaPoet_ > The game was actually Dragonā€™s Lair (featuring Dirk the Daring and Princess Daphne). It spawned a sequel which had the same game play, but was almost seamless. The main animator for it was Don Bluth who has done a few movies that escape me at the moment. Don Bluth was the guy behind _All Dogs go to Heaven_, _The Secret of NIMH_, and _An American Tale_, among others. He used to be a Disney animator, but got blackballed when he dared to leave the House of Mouse, which is how he ended up making laserdisc video games, the success of which allowed him to found his own animation studio. Random anecdote: I know a guy who works at Ubi Soft, and who worked on the new version of Dragonā€™s Lair for home consoles. As part of the job, he met the guy who invented Dragonā€™s Lair (_not_ Don Bluth). Apparently, the guy is certifiable. Heā€™s convinced that the release of Dragonā€™s Lair was an event on par with the moon landing and the JFK assassination. His actual words were something to the effect of, ā€œEveryone remembers where they were on three dates: The first moon landing, JFK getting shot, and the first time they played Dragonā€™s Lair.ā€ Heā€™s obsessed with the fact that Dragonā€™s Lair is one of three arcade games kept at the Smithsonian (the other two being Pac-Man and Pong, IIRC). It seems nobody has ever had the heart to tell him his great achievement in life was nothing more than a fad, a cultural curiosity no more significant than the Pet Rock. Kinda sad, really. Mostly funny, but still kinda sad. ---
**Author:** ![Koffing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@Koffing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koffing)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/34 "2003-08-27T22:06:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chicago Faucet \* > \*\*Honorable Mention: Lucky Wander Boy. \*\* The greatest game that never existed? I still have to read that bookā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/35 "2003-08-27T22:19:06Z")
quote: Originally posted by Zebra > [@](#): > > I remember two versions of Tapper one where you served beer and another where you served root beer. > Crazy Climber was pretty strange. Itā€™s actually illeagal in some states to have a game with beer in it where kids can play it. The Budweiser version was in bars only, and the root beer one was for arcades. There was even a version with Suntory beer for Japan. I still say that **Crazy Climber** was one of the best arcade games ever. There was a **Crazy Climber 2** in Japan only which was 10 time wackier than the first one. **Kid Nikki** was another favorite of mine. It was a side-scroller like Super Mario Brothers, chock full of that uniquely Japanese wierdness. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/36 "2003-08-27T22:24:56Z")
How about **Parappa the Rapper**? I went from ā€œthis is stupidā€ to ā€œIā€™m keeping it and never returning it to the rental storeā€ in about five minutes. And thank you **r.j.a.** for planting that damn Burgertime music back in my head. Iā€™ve spent years trying to get rid of it. (Play the MIDI from the ā€œSoundsā€ link [here](http://burgertime.cjb.net/) if youā€™d like to join me in my hell). ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/37 "2003-08-28T04:37:57Z")
**Police 911** is cool. It uses motion sensors so that your character on-screen dodges bullets in time with your movements. Konami has a boxing game that uses this same technology as well. As for rhythm games, forget Dance Dance Revolution, **Percussion Freaks** is where itā€™s at. 5 drum pads and a bass pedal. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/38 "2003-08-28T05:52:30Z")
I spent money a happy weekend playing **Zombies Ate My Neighbors** and listening to too much heavy metal. It probably explains quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/39 "2003-09-18T23:29:35Z")
Pacman is wacky. Think about it. A disembodied yellow head gobbling up magic pills and running away from ghosts in an endless series of mazes. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687/40 "2003-09-18T23:54:11Z")
You havenā€™t seen wacky until youā€™re expected to [ram your finger up someoneā€™s ass](http://www.seanbaby.com/nes/naughty02.htm) for thrills. Iā€™ve never played it, as it hasnā€™t been released in the US (I wonder whyā€¦). Caution: link is probably not work-safe, as the tiny 4-bit graphic of 69ā€™ing might offend somebody. That, and itā€™s part of an article about the ā€œnaughtiest games of all time.ā€ Mods, please remove if Iā€™m violating any link regs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wackiest-arcade-game/197687.md?page=3)